


with the exception of you (I dislike everyone in the room)

by dontstraytoofar



Category: Borderlands (Video Games), borderlands 2 - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Romance, female relationship, look tannis is a giant nerd ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 14:39:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9496103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontstraytoofar/pseuds/dontstraytoofar
Summary: (There is nothing, Tannis repeats to herself,wrongwith being abnormal. It’s just startling that someone decides to look at her like she isn’t)





	

**Author's Note:**

> this is centred around the line from Tannis in the dlc in B2 where she touches on being "strangely attracted to Maya" in a letter, and it spurred me to wirte about my fave socially awkward scientist. Feedback appreciated!!! Enjoy :)
> 
> PS. based on an Arctic Monkeys song thats name is escaping my brain

 

Maya is the first to not make Tannis feel like vomitting to exit a social situation is necessary. 

To some, that sentence makes no sense and the words ‘vomit’ and ‘social’ shouldnt even be near each other. But as Tannis nurses a beer, Moxxi’s bar a type of warm welcome in Sanctuary’s winter chill, she can’t help but think  _ oh, every time I’m here and  _ she’s  _ here I’m okay and nothing is bad and talking doesn’t feel like sand in my mouth. _

Patricia never entertained the thought of Maya being a safe place. A person she could go  _ to.  _ But as she nervously sit across from the other woman, tapping her nails to the glass in her hands, Tannis can’t help but notice Maya’s arms; the tattoos that run the length of it. She watches the Siren down a drink, transfixed at how her throat bobs and how her jaw line makes a perfect angle. It’s Moxxi that chuckles and leans from the other side of the bar, wiping a glass as she speaks.

 “Sugar, you’re gonna burn a hole in the poor girl's’ head”

It makes Tannis look sharply to Moxxi, eyebrow raised as she almost bursts out in laughter at the idea.

 “Has your bra finally cut off blood supply to your brain? I’m merely people watching”

The reply just makes Moxxi roll her eyes, walking to the bar to fill Tannis’ glass up again. She doesn’t stop her, sometimes alcohol soothes the ache that is ever present in her mind. “I’m just saying, you haven’t stopped starin’ at her. Talk to her or something, it’s gross just watching you”

It makes Tannis scoff, almost  _ shiver  _ at the idea.

On the other hand, it doesn’t stop her from letting out a “ _ Fine”  _ as she finishes her drink, making Moxxi smirk like she’s achieved something. It  _ infuriates _ her.

And as she saddles up beside Maya, frowning at first at the lack of distaste, her tattoos seem to glow in contentment. Or maybe warning. Tannis isn’t too sure. Both are different but the same and she can’t help letting a frown escape at how, well..she’s okay. Being here. With her.

That’s a lot for Tannis.

Maya’s head then inclines slightly as she feels the scientist’ presence, a small smirk falls upon her lips as she leans on her elbows, condensation from her drink falling to her fingertips.

 “Oh, hey there”

Tannis never  _ actually  _ meant for the next words to fall out of her mouth. She wonders if the signal from her brain to her mouth ever short circuits.

 “I’m confused at my lack of disgust towards you”

Maya scrunches up her nose, confused at first, then she  _ laughs.  _ Her tattoos glowing in mirth as she bites her lip, making Tannis stare at her a little while longer. She sips at her drink, laugh dissolving as she takes the other woman in. Yet, it makes Tannis shift uncomfortably, frown into her glass, and swallow that familiar feeling creeps up her spine when socialising; speaking to others and feeling the cloth clog up her voice box. But Maya seems to ignore it, or chooses too, as she spins to speak to the other woman better.

 “Gotta say, I’ve had better pick ups at bars than  _ that” _

This time, she  _ does  _ scoff at the idea.

 “Oh, this isn’t a ‘pick up’,” And then this spur of confidence overcomes Tannis’s shaking body, and it makes Maya raise an eyebrow at her next words. “At least, I don’t think it is. Regardless, you irritate me”

Maya then frowns, and now Tannis is a  _ hundred percent _ sure the glowing isn’t ‘mirthful’ anymore. Words spill from Patricia’s mouth without abandon, and honestly? Sometimes she wishes her brain would slow down, smell the roses and shut off for a little while. But usually it kicks the roses and pulls them from the ground while Tannis’s screams from the confines of her mind at her entire garden going to ruins.

Standard mind games.

 “Wow. Smooth. Wanna add insult to injury?” Maya then clenches her fist around her glass, and Moxxi throws Tannis a worried and concerned look from across the bar at how _ hot _ Maya glows.  _ Okay, back track Tannis. _

And for the first time in a long time, Patricia  _ stutters  _ in a social situation because Maya is angry and her words didn’t  _ mean  _ to come out as they do; Tannis just has a constant war with her own mind. And Maya is beautiful and  _ powerful  _ and god is she nervous? Is Maya making her heart beat faster, serotonin levels rise and euphoria overcome her thoughts? Tannis almost gags.

_ Almost. _

 “I-I uh,”

Maya raises an eyebrow, hair falling in front of her eye. And Tannis stutters and spits out so fast she’s surprised the Siren even caught it. 

 “I’m...sorry. It’s just from my Echo’s you must  _ know  _ of my aversion to social situations but  _ you;  _ of all people on Pandora, somehow don’t make me...want to kill myself when I talk to you” She ends it with a decisive nod, and an awkward shift of her hip leaning on the bar. 

But Maya still softens, chuckles, and nods. Finishing her drink and flexing her fingers. “Fair enough. From you Tannis, I’ll take that as a compliment”

And it makes Tannis softly smile at that, sitting down next to Maya as she smiles. She’s transfixing, and as Tannis clears her throat to speak, she’s surprised no blood is currently spurting out of her nose. Maya does that to Tannis a lot; she  _ surprises.  _ But then she’s realises,  _ wow  _ when was the last time she did this ‘socialising because I’m interested in someone’ thing?

Tannis guesses weeks, months,  _ years _ even.

Decades?

And as Maya gestures to Moxxi for another round, Tannis finds herself at a terrible loss for words. Tongue tied. That cloth making her mouth almost heavy.

 “I guess this is the part where I...ask you for a drink?” But Tannis then pauses, nearly  _ blushing  _ as Maya raises her new glass. “But I see that’s been taken care of”

It all makes Tannis awkwardly tap her nails to her glass; but Maya seems undisturbed at the jitteriness. How Patricia’s fingers are spasming or how her actually  _ body  _ is two seconds away from ejecting itself and flinging into the sun.

But Maya, which utterly and totally confuses Tannis, looks to her like she’s the most normal thing on Pandora.

(There is nothing, Tannis repeats to herself,  _ wrong  _ with being abnormal. It’s just startling that someone decides to look at her like she isn’t)

But Maya then says, with a smirk as she flings down dollar bills for both women to Moxxi; “Hey, I heard they’re throwing fireworks down at the Dust. Wanna join?”

Tannis finds herself saying yes, so fast she almost spills her drink over the bar  _ and  _ the Siren across from her.

Maya just laughs, shaking her head.

 “You’re strange. I like it. I mean, I knew you were back when I collected your echos but,”

And this time it’s Tannis who smiles and raises an eyebrow, making Maya stutter and hide her blush as she scratches the back of her head. “Uh can we go now? Or do you wanna wait for the earth to swallow me whole”

 “Although yes, that  _ would _ be entertaining,” Tannis smiles to the other woman in jest, and it lights up her spine with an unfamiliar feeling when the other woman returns it. “Fireworks sound equally as spectacular. Lead the way!”

 

-

 

 

 

  
  
  
  


Fireworks Maya has found, have  _ nothing  _ on the way Patricia’s eyes light up. 

Sure, they’re little balls of gunpowder that spark and ignite to make the entire spectrum of colour scream into the sky, but Tannis has this type of innate wonder ever present in her irises. It could make Maya jealous, she hasn’t always had the ability to be curious like Tannis does. This scientific awe of the universe.

But the look reminds Maya of the look she  _ herself  _ gave when successfully escaping the Brothers. Bright. Spectacular. Almost ready for the world. And as Tannis looks up into the sky, eyes light, lips turned into the smallest of smiles, Maya can’t help wonder that for a human; Tannis holds a type of brilliance she’s only seen in fellow Sirens.

 “Do you remember those ceiling chairs?”

Tannis’ words break Maya out of her stupor, a small chuckle escaping as they both look up. It’s so loud from the lights in the sky,  but the two women are so close Maya can hear every word. “Uh, Phillipe and…?”

 “Clork”

Tannis answers it with a laugh, and it makes Maya smile, because it sounds a little like moving on.

So she decides to take the hand that rests idly by Tannis’s side. Making the other woman look sharply to it in surprise, but the Siren just watches her shoulders relax, hand tightening back. They fall into an easy silence as fireworks crackle above.

And as Tannis speaks, Maya’s tattoo’s glow in rhythm with the booms above.

 “Though I generally have trouble verbalizing my thoughts into words that will not utterly confuse or nauseate you, I find my mental processes are now surprisingly focused like with Philippe and Clork...”

Maya raises an eyebrow at her wording, and Tannis then sighs, seeming to clench her jaw as the words escape. “Yet  _ now  _ I seem to find myself focused when-” She closes her eyes, and Maya just stands patiently when she grits out the next sentence more firmly. “ _ When I’m with you _ , I’m better with words when I’m with you”

And Maya chuckles, letting her eyes fall from the sky to Tannis. And the other woman looks like her entire body is going to implode. The Siren squeezes once to the hand in hers, and Patricia starts again; noticing once more how human contact with Maya isn’t making her want to burn her own flesh off.

 “Coulda fooled me”

 “Oh ha ha,” Then Tannis frowns briefly, and who’s to blame Maya if she finds it cute? “Was that flirting or genuine scorn? I’m still working the differences between the two”

Maya rolls her eyes, chuckling as her shoulders move. And Tannis looks up,  _ blinded _ by her beauty.

 “It’s called joking slash flirting. Means I like you and you make me laugh. All covered?”

And Tannis nods with a small smile, her fingers getting tangled with Maya’s. “Still needs a solid hypothesis but-”

 “Enjoy the fireworks dork. Cute moment now. Science later”

For the first time in her life, Tannis is okay with science being second best.


End file.
